The problem with teaching "MMA"

just 2 side notes. my mma programe is onloy a small part of what we do here, as i concentrate on are jjj and karate.
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but in reality, the mma side of things in very small in this centre

According to the schedule on your website, it looks like 50% of your adult program is "MMA" and the rest is BJJ, which you bring in an instructor for (which I highly approve of).

i do teach 2 mma classes a week. these include boxing, kick boxing, jjj, karate, weapons, and we also cover take downs, throws, some grappling ( but i get my students to train in the bjj classes when we need to really work on them ), i have trained students who have competed in both karate, grappling and mma tournaments. this centre has a few students training for mma as well as karate tournaments at the moment.

So I may see the issue here. I wonder if you equate "MMA" to the mixture of martial arts you chose to create a curriculum?

For me, if someone says they teach MMA/Boxing/Kickboxing, I equate that to preparing someone to compete under that rule set.

Questions I would ask you, if I was considering your gym to train me for a fight:
(1) "What was your fight record like?"
(2) "How many fights have you been a cornerman for?"
(3) "How many fighters have you trained that have competed in MMA/Boxing/Kickboxing, and how have they done?" (Given how new your school is, I would place a higher precedence on the two prior questions)

If I was looking at your BJJ program I would ask the same questions, more or less:
(1) "What's your instructor's lineage?"
(2) "Can you give me some competition highlights?" (I don't need to know every tournament they've one, but some of the big ones are nice)
(3) "How many students compete, and how have they done?" (Given how new your school is, I would place a higher precedence on the two prior questions)

I hope this sheds some light on why people are employing the Socratic method with you right now.

Originally Posted by family karate

if mike tyson had a son and taught him boxing, would you say to his son, where's your black belt or equivalent..

Hopefully, based on the above questions, you might see why we wouldn't question Mike Tyson, boxing trainer.

Although, Mike Tyson, MMA trainer would still get some raised eyebrows.

So I may see the issue here. I wonder if you equate "MMA" to the mixture of martial arts you chose to create a curriculum?

For me, if someone says they teach MMA/Boxing/Kickboxing, I equate that to preparing someone to compete under that rule set.

Questions I would ask you, if I was considering your gym to train me for a fight:
(1) "What was your fight record like?"
(2) "How many fights have you been a cornerman for?"
(3) "How many fighters have you trained that have competed in MMA/Boxing/Kickboxing, and how have they done?" (Given how new your school is, I would place a higher precedence on the two prior questions)

If I was looking at your BJJ program I would ask the same questions, more or less:
(1) "What's your instructor's lineage?"
(2) "Can you give me some competition highlights?" (I don't need to know every tournament they've one, but some of the big ones are nice)
(3) "How many students compete, and how have they done?" (Given how new your school is, I would place a higher precedence on the two prior questions)

I hope this sheds some light on why people are employing the Socratic method with you right now.

Hopefully, based on the above questions, you might see why we wouldn't question Mike Tyson, boxing trainer.

Although, Mike Tyson, MMA trainer would still get some raised eyebrows.

Agreed. MMA is a loaded term now. It doesn't mean just "mixing multiple fighting styles" anymore. It means the sport of mixed martial arts. The way you use the term is deceptive at worst, confusing at best. Your students will say they do mixed martial arts and get attention they probably don't want.

Agreed. MMA is a loaded term now. It doesn't mean just "mixing multiple fighting styles" anymore. It means the sport of mixed martial arts. The way you use the term is deceptive at worst, confusing at best. Your students will say they do mixed martial arts and get attention they probably don't want.

No. But he's not talking about the sport called "Mixed Martial Arts". He's talking about mixing multiple fighting styles and calling it MMA. Although technically true, it's still misleading.

Did you really take the time to explain this do Bodh108? LOL. No, it isn't technically true. It is called selective memory or bullshit arguing. For it to be "technically" ACCEPTED it has to be common. It only became commonplace AFTER MMA became a common name. Then every TMAer on the planet claimed it was always MMA.